Amazing Show Last Night on The Kovacs Perspective!

I have to say, I was thrilled with the guests we had on The Kovacs Perspective last night - thanks to me of course. We had a couple of really intelligent people who knew a thing or two about peace and what we really need in order to get it. Their approaches were very different, rather like approaching things from opposite ends of the spectrum. As usual, +Steve Kovacs did a great job with the guests, and had them talking about some very key points.

Our first guest +Douglas Noll, approached things from a top-down angle, giving us some great insight into not only our brain chemistry, but also into how things should be working on a diplomatic level. His explanation of the fight or flight response with regard to social confrontation was of particular interest to me. According to him we respond to social threats the same way we respond to physical threats, which makes a great deal of sense if you think about it. After all, when someone starts saying nasty things to us, we all start responding physically.

From a personal perspective, I know very well I have that response. It's a feeling I really don't like, and I equate it with the feeling I get with near-misses when I'm driving. Our guest also mentioned the fact that negotiation requires getting people into the same room, talking. Keeping people apart only exacerbates the problem, and he's right about that. He talks about a political situation that blew up when it shouldn't have, and many people died because of this failure.

Our second guest, Dr. Frank Romano, has a boots-on-the-ground approach that also seems very effective. He talks about sitting around the dinner table with people of multiple faiths, having them get to know one another. Again we hear that it's vital to get people talking, face-to-face. It doesn't matter if they're enemies. It's absolutely vital that people start seeing one another as human beings rather than as 'the enemy' they fear and hate.

A point the good doctor makes, however, is that it isn't enough to just sit around in the kitchen, breaking bread, as wonderful as that might be. It's only the beginning. He believes shared projects are the way to go when it comes to getting people to work and live in harmony. Building an inter-faith, international school is one of the projects he mentions, but there are others. When people really start investing in co-existing, it makes a world of difference. He isn't naive about the length of time this approach is going to take, either.

The things is, we need people working from both ends. It will do no good for mediators to go in and negotiate truces if the people who are living in that part of the world hate one another. The reverse is true as well. It doesn't do any good for the people to share understanding and acceptance if their leaders are still attacking one another. If we ever want peace in this world, it needs to be an effort made by more than one group of people, and we need to take a multi-pronged approach.

In case you missed this incredible show, we will have the vodcast available by tomorrow night or Saturday morning. It will be available here at that time.